Seal leakage indicator for containers



Feb. 25, 1946. SHONYER I 2,395,588

SEAL LEAKAGE INDI CATOR FOR CONTAINERS Filed March 25, 1944 Patented Feb. 26, 1946 SEAL-LEAKAGE INDICATQR CON BAINERS Robert 'N'. 'Slioner, Fort Wayne; Ind; Application.-March- 215; 1944i, Serial No. 528,156

9 *Glaims: (Cl. 3'3-'-' -'169") invention relates-toiimprovementexinwseal. leakage-iindicatorse-for containersi and isoapplicable-to that tvpeeof container-used; for preserving-v food:and:other;.perishahle' substances and which. isclosed andrsealedbwa-zthimdish-shaped-metalliccap. usually ;provided: with atgasket: lining;-

that'iiecompressed between thevcap and the neck of. the container; wherefore to: hermetically seal thecontainer.

Ordinarily; when-a=ssealed-..container of :the type hererefterredr to is; filleda with. heated goods; and its, cap: is applied te -close. the.- container, upon.

subsequent. cooling. :of. the :contents contraction thereof. occurs; whereupon the cap-is drawn in wardly andfirml-y seatedin place because of theparti-al. vacuum. established .within the. container. Generally, a sealing. cap. the. character here involvediliswmade of thin metal. and issubstantially .fi'at. in item-idpcrtion and becomesbulged. inwardly more or less because of the partial: vacuum produced within the container... AIL object. of. the. present invention .isto pro.- vide aninstrumentiby which to indicate whether. or not a container, after. having been filled. with the substance to be preserved, and. closed Jbyeits cap, ,has been properly sealed, or if there is leakage between the container andffits cap.

Another. object. ofi'the'invention is tollrovide a leakage detector. for. a canned goods. container that is closed" by .a flexible cap, which.,detector. hasan indicating member. operatively. associated with. a cap. contactor and a latch. having engagement with the. indicating 'member-bywlilch. said.

member is sustained in a definite selected..posi'- tion when the. instrument applied'gt'o an im-- perfectly sealedf'conta'iner.

And a. further. obimt of; theinvention is to afford a. leakage; detector for can-sealed. con..-

tainers in which issprovidedimeansof. adjustment. wherefore to. adapt the instrument to. containers having. sea-ling. caps. of" various. proportions or shapes.

Other. objectsand: advantage5 .o .theainvention appear. in thefoll'owing. description.

The illustrative embodimentqoff thednvention,

is shown in the-accompanying drawing, in. which Fig. 1 is. a toprplan-view oftheinstrument applied to acontainer;

Rig.- -2 is a: vertical...elevational. view-,1 .drawn. to.

' Fig. Brisavertical 'elevational. view-in section.

of. the. structure shownti-n Ei-g. Iron-the dine x -x.

thereon. the indicator being position -as when the container is' properly=sealed .Fig..-4.-is abottom planiview of theinstrument;

and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentaryelevational viewof. the

base.- for the instrumenthdrawnto anenlarged.

scale, shown in section on the line a:-:c ofuFig l. The illustrative. embodiment. .of the invention consists of. a .base Ill3-.formed .of a .flat:..-plate..having an. elongated aperture. M .therein,.=.the..ends

of which are. enlarged .toiormsight opening li. and l-6.. In .the aperture ied isposeda .t'eeterbarJTWhichis supported upon aiulcrumpm 'll'tl,

. the. ends of which extendloosely into. corresponding. recesses. lamade. in the uppenportion oil the base, the. arrangement heingsuch. as to permit.

the teeter-bar to tilt to. and. fro .upon the axis. of the fulcrum pin and'to be raisedibodily upward to alimited. extent, there being provided. opposlng ilugs ZU-that overhang thecorresponding ends. of the. fulcrum-pinto. limit upward; movement thereof in the recesses andto prevent dislodgementLof" the. teeter-bar from the these.

dicating diskxZl preferably colored green? and the opposite end of the teeter bar is likewise shaped to provide a leakindicating disk"22pref-- erably colored red in contra distinctionfrom :th'e seal-indicating disk. The disks. are disposed. angul'arly'in divergent planes respect: to. I the midportion of the teeter-bar sothat" sa'i'd' diskswhen-in their: uppermost positions" are disposed-in horizontal planeewithin tlieupper ends downwardly eitendingflangei constituting a foot: '24 for-thebase f3;

The plate hasiarhubizi'the upper-end of-which projectsdnto-thetanerture1-4 and has made therein a; polygonal" socket 26. 'I'helowerend of the-huhhas'an axial'borell and a continuation 2 8" thereofextending'through the p-I'ateZS =into-said socket:

A latch" 2'9""is disposed; for axial;movement; in. the hub and provided with. a polygonal head;

30 that isnormall'y seated in the socket;.2'6thereof and has a stem 3l1that extends.lcosely;into.the bore. ofthehub. The upper; end oi'theJlatchJs'. pointed, .and' the teeter-bar L1. 'hasa .pendientlhg. 3 2' having, a face .33 7 that extendszconcentrically respect .to. the. inlcrum..pin,. amzl" bears upon the. pointed and oil the.- Ethihmflienjhe-Jlhtkzhis.

1n. elevated. position. so: the load! ofthe teeter.-

One end i ofthe teeter-bar iszshape'd'to provide: a seaI-in- 2 r or bar is then borne by the latch. In the face 33 of the lug 32 is made a shallow groove 34 extending parallel with the axis of the fulcrum pin and is suitably located on the lug to receive the pointed end of the latch when the teeter-bar is tilted to a selected inclination, as when the indicating disk 2| is in its lowermost position in the corresponding sight opening [5. The latch by engagement inthe groove serves to yieldingly detain theteeter-bar in a selected position until the latch is lowered out of contact with the lug.

An adjuster 35 is arranged in threaded connection with the stem 3| of the latch and is provided with a laterally extending arm 36 that underlies the plate 23 that has arranged on its under face an annular series of indicating characters one (1) to twelve (12) inclusive equally spaced apart.

The adjuster has thereon a pendent protuberance alined with the axis of the stem constituting a contactor 31 for the purpose hereinafter referred to, and there is arranged a compression spring 38 encompassing the hub 25 disposed between the-lower face of the plate 23 and the adjuster 36 wherefore to yieldingly urge the adjuster and the latch downwardly thus to normally withhold the latch from engagement with the teeter-bar. The polygonal head 30 of the latch is seated loosely in the socket 26 so that rotation of the latch relative to the base when the latch is seated is prevented. 'By raising the adjuster in opposition to restraint of the spring 38 the head 30 of the latch is raised clear from the socket whereupon the latch may be rotatedin one direction or. the other, relative to the adjuster, thus to increase or decrease the distance between the point of the latch and the contactor 3! accordingly as turned. V

Preferably, there isprovided a stop 39 that projects downwardly from the underface of the plate 23 into the path of the arm 36 of the adjuster, wherefore to intercept the adjuster and thus establish a definite starting point from which to maneuver the adjuster. When the arm 36 of theadjuster is turned to the indicating characteri'and. against the stop, the contactor then is disposed suitably for engagement with an ordinary dished cap 49 ion a container 4|,and by turningthe adjuster arm clockwise from one indicating character to another, the adjuster 35 is screwed upwardly onto the stem of the latch to a corresponding extent thus raising the cont-actor 31 to suit the particular depth of the sealing cap to be tested. The depth of the dished caps vary more or less in the products of diil'erent manufacturers, and turning of the adjuster on the latch toan appropriate one of the indicating characters renders the instrument adaptable to any of the various makes of containers that are sealed by dish-shaped caps of various depths.

In using theinvention the container 4| is filled with heated food to be preserved therein and closed by a cap 4|] secured in place on the neck of the container inthe customary manner by a sealing ring 42. The arm 36 of the adjuster is then turned to a selected one of the indicating charactors on the underface of the disk 35 correspondingly to suit the particular characteristics of the make of container. Upon cooling of the closed container, in the event there is no leakage of the seal between the cap and container, partial 'vacuumis produced within the container causing the midportion of the cap to bulge inwardly from its normal plane. The instrument clination such that the seal indicating disk 2! is then disposed in its uppermost position in its sight opening ii in clear view of th operator. The seal indicating disk is then manually depressed to its lowermost position in the sight opening and then released, whereupon the teeterbar automatically assumes its normal inclination again exposing the seal indicating disk to view, thus signifying the container to have been hermetically sealed. If, however, the seal is faulty and there is leakage of the container, the cap thereupon retains its normal flatness and the contactor 31 rests thereon causing elevation of the latch into contact with the lug 32 so the teeter-bar i bodily supported thereon with the seal indicating disk exposed in the upper end of its sight opening l5. Then, when the seal indicating disk 2| is depressed by the operator to its lowermost position, the point of the latchis received in the groove 34 detaining the teeter-bar in an oppositely inclined position so the leak-indicating disk 22 then is held in exposed position .in the upper end of its sight opening 16 in clear view, thus indicating the container not to have been hermetically sealed. By these manipulations of the instrument is determined simpl and with certainty whether or not the container shall have been effectively sealed and in proper condition for storage. 7

Variations from the particular construction above disclosed may be resorted to by the exercise of skill in the art, without departure from. the scope of the invention:

WhatIclaim is: V

'1. A seal leakage detector for a container that is closed by a flexible sealing cap, said detector consisting of v an apertured base having sight openings therein and provided with a circular pendent flange constituting a foot, a teeter-bar having a fulcrum pinthe ends of which are disposed loosely in recesses made in said base, and having a lug with a face concentric with said pin provided with a groove therein parallel with the axis of said pin, the ends of said teeter-bar being shaped to provide indicating disks disposed within said sight openings that are exposed selectively at the upper ends thereof accordingly as the teeter-bar is tilted, and a latch,

normally seated in said base, having a pointed sition with the teeter-bar accordingly as the cap is not or is flexed.

2., ,A seal leakage detector for a flexible cap of a container consisting of an apertured base provided with opposite sight openings; a teeter-bar having a fulcrum pin loosely supported in said base and provided at its ends with indicating disks disposed respectively in said sight openings that are exposed at the upper ends thereof selectively accordingly as the teeter-bar is tilted, a latch movably disposed in said base, upon which the teeter-bar rests, when the latch is in raised position, and is thereby secured when in to a selected position, and a spring-pressed contactor adjustably connected with said latch adapted to engage said sealing cap when said base is concentrically positioned thereon and the cap is not flexed, to cause engagement of the latch with the teeter-bar, the arrangement being such that said contactor and latch are withheld respectively from engagement with the cap and teeter-bar when said cap is flexed.

3. A seal leakage indicator for a flexible cap of a container consisting of an apertured base provided with opposite sight openings and a pendent circular flange constituting a foot, a teeterbar pivotally supported in said base, weighted to tilt normally in one direction, and having on its opposite ends a leak indicator and a seal indicator respectively, disposed in the corresponding sight openings arranged to selectively appear at the upper ends of said openings accordingly as ,the teeter-bar is tilted, and a latch movably disposed in said base adapted to engage the teeterbar when the latch is raised and to detain said teeter-bar when moved to a selected position, and being provided with a contactor engageable with the sealing cap of a container when the foot of the base is disposed on said cap and the cap is not flexed so that said latch is thereby raised into engagement with the teeter-bar.

4. A seal leakage indicator for a container having a flexible sealing cap, said indicator consisting of a base provided with a flange constituting a foot, a teeter-bar pivo tally supported on said base, weighted to tilt normally in one direction, and having opposite indicators disposed to be selectively displayed accordingly as the teeter-bar is tilted, and a latch movably disposed in said base adapted to engage the teeter-bar when the latch is raised and detain said teeterbar in a selected indicating position, and being provided with a contactor adapted to bear against said cap when said foot is positioned on the cap and the cap is not flexed, thus to raise said latch into engagement with the teeter-bar.

5. In a seal leakage indicator for a container having a flexible sealing cap, said indicator consisting of a chambered base having opposite sight openings and provided with a pendent circular foot, a teeter-bar pivoted in said base, weighted to tilt normally in one direction, an indicator 7 signifying leakage on said teeter-bar disposed in is not flexedflthus to and cause movement of the latch into engagement with the teeter-bar.

6. In a seal leakage indicator for the cap of a container consisting of a base having a foot 5 adapted to be positioned upon said cap, a teeter bar pivotally supported in connection with the base, weighted to tilt normally in one direction and provided with opposite indicators, respectively to signify proper sealing of the cap or leakage thereof, and movable selectively into indicating position accordingly as the teeter-bar is tilted, and a latch movably supported in the base, engageable with said teeter-bar, and provided with a contacting member adapted to be engaged or not with the container cap when the foot of the base is seated concentrically thereon, accordingly as said cap is not flexed or is flexed. 7. A seal leakage indicator for the cap of a container consisting of a base adapted to be positioned upon said cap, a teeter-bar pivoted in said base provided with indicators respectivea 1y to signify the cap of the container has been properly sealed or not, and a latch movably mounted in the base having a contactor adapted to engage said cap when said base is positioned thereon and the cap is not flexed, whereby said latch is moved into engagement with said teeterbar, thus to detain the teeter-bar when moved into leakage indicating position.

8. In a seal leakage indicator for a container cap that has a normally flat flexible midportion, a base having a foot adapted to be positioned on said midportion, a teeter-bar pivotally supported in connection with the base, having a leakage indicator and a seal indicator arranged to be selectively displayed in indicating positions accordingly as said teeter-bar is tilted, a latch member axially movable in said'base adapt ed for engagement with said teeter-bar, a dial on the bottom face of said base provided with a series of indicating characters thereon, and a contactor adjustably mounted on said member provided with an extending arm adapted to be moved selectively into indicating positions with respect to said characters concurrently with adjustment of said contactor, said contactor being adapted to have engagement with the midportion of said cap when said base is positioned thereon while said midportion is not flexed, thus to cause movement of said member into engagement with said teeter-bar, thus to prevent tilting thereof when moved into leakage indicating position.

9. In a seal leakage indicator for a container cap that has a normally flat flexible midportion,

a base having a foot adapted to be positioned on said midportion of the cap, a teeter-bar pivotally supported in connection with the base, having a leakage indicator and a seal indicator arranged to be selectively displayed in indicating positions accordingly as said teeter-bar is tilted, and a member movably mounted in said base adapted to bear upon the cap when the base is in operative position thereon while the midportion of the cap is not flexed, and cause said member to engage said teeter-bar, thus to detain it when moved into leakage indicating position.

ROBERT N. SHONER. 

